The cost of the no vaxer's

[starfish]

I didn't read far enough to see your further post.....excuse my impatience!

[geniebelle6901]

Oh, I definitely get the argument that autism really is in families with "no history" just because there were older generations who went undiagnosed due to either diagnostic substitution or how mild they were on the spectrum. But you also don't need a family history in an individual's family for a disease to be genetic--so even if people are unwilling to connect their "weird" relatives to autism, denying a family history does not rule out a genetic cause as some people think. Recessive traits, or new mutations, or expanding triplet repeats (as in Huntington's) are all capable of causing genetic diseases to pop up in families with no history.

Kind off topic, but in my genealogical research I have run across people who were labeled as "idiot" or "insane" in U.S. Census records. (actual terms on the records not me name calling), so I wonder if those labeled as such were autistic or somewhere on the autism spectrum. :think: My nephew was recently diagnosed as mildly autistic. :think:

[starfish]

I had whooping cough in high school. The best part I was walking around with that fucker of a virus for a long time before being diagnosed because my parents thought it was just a "cough" related it to be cold outside. It wasn't until I stopped breathing and lost consciousness that anything was done.

My gawd. That scares me.

My doc told me that pertussis is hard to diagnose. (I had the mother of all coughs at the time. )

Any opinions on that here?

[BelieveinScience]

My gawd. That scares me.

My doc told me that pertussis is hard to diagnose. (I had the mother of all coughs at the time. )

Any opinions on that here?

I had several swabs taken to check for it. I think the one I had in the ER came back negative so my regular doctor took one and that one came back positive for it. This was almost 10years ago so my memory isn't that good to how it all went down.

[BravaAmica]

I disagree with this. It was more than annoying for me and. I had them from head to toe & even got pneumonia. But maybe that's because I had them when I was 7 years old back in 1976, so maybe that had something to do with how sick I got. But I wonder, if this puts me at risk for shingles later on in life?

ETA: I haven't had any "booster" vaccines since I was a child except for a tetanus shot several years ago. Should I consider getting any "boosters". I am 100% for vaccines.

I believe there is a "shingles" vaccine. I've seen it advertised at the pharmacy, along with the flu & pneumonia vaccines. [i didn't know pharmacist could administer vaccines. I think that's awesome!] Ask your doctor what boosters you need. And I'll ask mine about it. I had a sorching case of the chicken pox as a kid. I certainly do not want shingles.

I know my dad can't get vaccines, just the flu shot. Due to his leukemia, he had radiation treatment, chemo and a bone marrow transplant in 1978. Those wiped out his immunities, essentially. When we had chicken pox or the flu, he had to stay at a hotel so he wouldn't get sick. I don't know why he cant just get vaccinated for everything again, and why he can only get the flu vaccine every year- just that's what his doctor said to do. [Yes, he's still with us, 34 years later. The doctor said the bone marrow transplant would only give him ten more years at most. On the anniversary of the transplant, my dad calls his doctor and jokingly calls him a liar.]

DH, DS and I are fully vaccinated. I did a slight delay on DSs shots, though. As an infant, he would sleep too long after his shots [like 18 hours] and end up dehydrated. So his pediatrician and I decided no more than two shots per visit. I'd just bring him in for the rest of the shots the next week.

[Conuly]

Kind off topic, but in my genealogical research I have run across people who were labeled as "idiot" or "insane" in U.S. Census records. (actual terms on the records not me name calling), so I wonder if those labeled as such were autistic or somewhere on the autism spectrum. :think: My nephew was recently diagnosed as mildly autistic. :think:

Some of them might have been. Others may have been deaf or had CP or somesuch. Anything that might prevent somebody from talking or appearing to comprehend others could get you labeled wrongly.

Edit: That's Cerebral Palsy, not chickenpox!

[JesusFightClub]

I had a "mild" case CP which we don't vax for here. I still have scars though and two very annoying ones inside my nose! My nose bled regularly when I waa a kid and although it happens less now, I get it as an adult, usually when I have a cold. Little things set it off, like I can have a huge sneeze and it starts. I spent one very uncomfortable union conference. Every time I blew my nose it restarted (allergies). I spent more time in the toilet trying to stop the flow than I did voting.

And sometimes I think I have a mildly running nose, and as I raise a tissue, someone with a horror of blood gets upset...

[jericho]

I hesitate to point this out, but recent research shows that the pertussis vax wears off years earlier than they thought and the disease itself is mutating because of the vaccine, so that even if it hasn't worn off, it often isn't effective. Add to that that the vax does not prevent pertussis, it merely decreases symptoms, so people walk around spreading it because they think they just have a bad cold, and it's hardly a surprise we're hearing about it more lately. I'm actually pretty sure I had it while I was pregnant. No whoop, but adults usually don't have that. I had a horrid cough for 2-3 months.

Here is the research I believe LadyBlue was referring to.

http://www.gaia-health.com/articles451/000485-pertussis-more-virulent.shtml

[jericho]

But, you have a valid reason to skip some vaccines and vaccine on a delayed schedule. Your children are one of the reasons its important for everyone else to get vaccinated. Herd immunity can help protect those who cant get vaccinated.

Herd immunity is a theory which has very shaky reasoning.

http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2012-03-12/the-science-behind-herd-immunity-and-an-extension-to-gmos/

[TXDuck]

I disagree with this. It was more than annoying for me and. I had them from head to toe & even got pneumonia. But maybe that's because I had them when I was 7 years old back in 1976, so maybe that had something to do with how sick I got. But I wonder, if this puts me at risk for shingles later on in life?

ETA: I haven't had any "booster" vaccines since I was a child except for a tetanus shot several years ago. Should I consider getting any "boosters". I am 100% for vaccines.

I am for the vaccines. Both my kids got vaccinated for it. I'm not quite sure where anyone can get the idea that I'm anti-vaccine from my post. I meant it to illustrate that though it's usually minor (in comparison to some of the other diseases we vaccinate against), it isn't minor in some kids and you can't really predict which kid will get the "non-minor" version. So immunize all the kids. (With obvious exceptions.) That was my point. There are enough "non-minor" incidents of chicken pox to make the vaccine worthwhile, but "minor" is still going to be the majority of the cases. (Majority meaning anything 51% or above.)

IIRC, anyone who has had chicken pox is at risk of developing shingles later on. I may be wrong. I don't know what the standard is for CP boosters for adults.

[Coconut Flan]

anyone who has had chicken pox is at risk of developing shingles later on

That's what I've been told.

[Terrie]

Herd immunity is a theory which has very shaky reasoning.

http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2012-03-12/the-science-behind-herd-immunity-and-an-extension-to-gmos/

You're seriously going to offer a site that has "Big Pharma" as one of its key topics as a reliable source?

[SpeshulTaterTot]

I had chicken pox when I was 2, they didn't vax against those when I was little. I had shingles when I was 16, shortly after my parents seperated. My doctor back then said they most likely broke out due to stress. It really wasn't bad at all, antibiotics for a week and I was fine.

That said, I'd definitely make sure my kids got their shots.

[geniebelle6901]

I believe there is a "shingles" vaccine..

I didn't know that....thanks! I'll ask my doctor about it on my next appointment as well as about other boosters. She does want me to have a flu & pneumonia vaccine every year for other health reasons.

[geniebelle6901]

I am for the vaccines

Oh me too, I'm 100% for vaccines. I just wish the CP one was available when I was a little girl. My sis's kids have had the vaccine & haven't had CP at all.

[valsa]

I had shingles when I was 16, shortly after my parents seperated. My doctor back then said they most likely broke out due to stress. It really wasn't bad at all, antibiotics for a week and I was fine.

If you can say that, you had one hell of a mild case.

[happy atheist]

I had a "mild" case CP which we don't vax for here. I still have scars though and two very annoying ones inside my nose! My nose bled regularly when I waa a kid and although it happens less now, I get it as an adult, usually when I have a cold. Little things set it off, like I can have a huge sneeze and it starts. I spent one very uncomfortable union conference.

When I was a teen I had daily nosebleeds. The doctor fixed it by cauterizing the inside of my nostril with silver nitrate. It burned a bit, but I haven't had a nosebleed since. Perhaps you could look into that?

[apple1]

If you can say that, you had one hell of a mild case.

@STT-

Antibiotics do not affect shingles; chickenpox/shingles is a virus. (Antibiotics might be given if a bacterial infection was superimposed due to skin breakdown).

Postherpetic neuralgia is a rather frequent complication of shingles; it can cause severe pain for months to years and is rather unresponsive to treatment.

[geniebelle6901]

Some of them might have been. Others may have been deaf or had CP or somesuch. Anything that might prevent somebody from talking or appearing to comprehend others could get you labeled wrongly.

Edit: That's Cerebral Palsy, not chickenpox!

What I am referring to are little check boxes on the census sheets that say idiot or insane and some censuses like the 1870 lump deaf, dumb, blind, insane, and idiotic in one group. But it does make you wonder if you're doing genealogy research and come across an ancestor or other family member who was listed as insane or idiotic if they weren't on the autism spectrum. But it could also mean dementia/Alzheimer's/mentally impaired, sick at the time, or just seemed "weird" to the census taker (or whomever a lazy census taker was getting his info from, because they all didn't go door to door).

Even more off topic, it seems strange that words like insane or idiot were common place back ye olden days, but are considered slurs today. Oh, I even ran across an actual legal document called a Bastardy Bond. All the dude had to do was pay the Church in money or tobacco (this was in colonial VA), but the mother got not a dime. Wow...just wow! A legal deadbeat dad!

[apple1]

I didn't know that....thanks! I'll ask my doctor about it on my next appointment as well as about other boosters. She does want me to have a flu & pneumonia vaccine every year for other health reasons.

Shingles vaccine is CDC-recommended for those over 60 years old. (There may be special circumstances).

[Arete]

Anyone who has had chickenpox has the potential to get shingles, and your chances increase signifigantly after the age of 60. Shingles can be painful enough to require opiates to get through, since the chickenpox virus becomes active in nerve endings to manifest the disease. A small percentage may wind up with permanent nerve pain, a small percentage barely notice, and most have a nasty time of it for around 10 days.

Any doctor who treats shingles with an antibiotic should be whipped. It's a virus and not responsive to antibiotics. The only thing antibiotics do in that case is put pressure on your routine flora to mutate.

Nobody should read that "gaia" link without some serious thought to source criticism. I want to say it looks like it has only slightly more credibility than Bill Gothard, put I am trying to keep my temper in check. I hate bad public health information regardless if it's the looney Left or looney Right disseminating it.

[kb2]

Also, please consider the fact that if your children do contract cp, they are at risk for developing shingles later in life. Shingles are serious business. In addition to being an extremely painful disease, you can also go blind and have other complications.

The chickenpox vaccine might not prevent the shingles, so even people who received that vaccine might still need the shingles vaccine. But there is a shingles vaccine, so, yay!

ETA: The chickenpox vaccine is expected to decrease the rate of shingles, but it just hasn't been around long enough to tell for sure.

[doggie]

If you can say that, you had one hell of a mild case.

Plus the youth thing helped. my wife really suffered with them and the pain lasted for months afterwards.

[Witsec1]

Herd immunity is a theory which has very shaky reasoning.

http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2012-03-12/the-science-behind-herd-immunity-and-an-extension-to-gmos/

Why am I not surprised? Fucking science, how does it work?

[Guest Anonymous]

I got shingles when I was 25. It was horrible. It felt like I had the flu for about 2 weeks..aches, pains and small blisters on one side in the middle of my back. My doctor didn't give me anything to take for it but did give me cream to put on the blisters to help them go away. I still have some faint scars from my scratching at the blisters. I was miserable. I still have no clue why I got them, but I wouldn't wish them on anyone..young or old.